According to the World Health Organization, nutrition and nurturing during the first three years of life are crucial for lifelong health and wellbeing. In infancy, no gift is more precious than breastfeeding, yet barely one in three infants is exclusively breastfed during the first four months of life.

Faulty feeding practices begin with giving any other nourishment than breastmilk before complementary feeding (cereal, baby food) is nutritionally required--or with substituting entirely for breastmilk with formula. Such practices place babies at risk for illness and even death.

The following information discusses the benefits of breastfeeding to both mother and child as well as frequently asked questions you may have.

The benefits of breastfeeding for baby
Breastmilk provides the best nutrition for your baby. Nature has designed breastmilk as the perfect food for your baby's growth and developmental needs.

• Breastmilk is easier to digest than formula. It contains special enzymes (lipases) which help digest fat.
• Breastmilk contains substances (antibodies) which actually increase your baby's immunity to infections. Studies show that breast-fed babies tend to have fewer colds and ear infections than formula-fed babies.
• Breast-fed babies are less likely to have diarrhea.
• Breastmilk may protect babies from allergies as they grow older.
• Breastmilk may lower the risk of chronic illnesses such as juvenile-onset diabetes.
• Breastfeeding helps strengthen your baby's facial and oral muscles.This can help in development of other feeding skills and speech readiness.
• Breastfeeding provides a wonderful opportunity for mother and baby to be close and strengthen emotional bonds.

The benefits of breastfeeding for mother Breastfeeding shortens the time your uterus will take to return to normal size after birth, decreasing the recovery time from pregnancy and delivery.

Because of hormonal changes, breastfeeding generally lengthens the time before ovulation and menstrual periods resume. However, breastfeeding should NOT be considered a method of birth control.

Oxytocin, a hormone produced in response to sucking, stimulates a sense of well-being in a breastfeeding mother.

Breastfeeding is less expensive than formula feeding. When the cost of extra food the mother needs to eat to support her milk supply is compared with the cost of formula, the formula is one-third to one-half more expensive.

Many women feel that breastfeeding is much more convenient-no bottles, no sterilizing, no measuring.

Breastmilk is always the right temperature!

Breastmilk doesn't stain like formula, so there are fewer stained clothes.

Recent studies show women who breastfeed for extended length of time (at least one year) tend to have lower rates of breast cancer.

Breastfeeding may protect mothers from ovarian cancer, urinary tract infections and may even help prevent osteoporosis.

Breastfeeding boosts a mother's metabolism and helps her burn an extra 500 calories a day. In fact, breastfeeding mothers may note their hips and thighs slimming due to the fat stores in these areas of the body-fat stores that serve as "reserves" for breastfeeding.

Breastfeeding can prevent illnesses in your child Breastfeeding has been shown to be protective against many illnesses, including painful ear infections, upper and lower respiratory ailments, allergies, intestinal disorders, colds, viruses, staph, strep and e coli infections, diabetes, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, many childhood cancers, meningitis, pneumonia, urinary tract infections, salmonella, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome(SIDS) as well as lifetime protection from Crohn's Disease, ulcerative colitis, some lymphomas, insulin dependent diabetes, and for girls, breast and ovarian cancer.

One way breast feeding protects your newborn from illnesses is the immune molecules, called antibodies, that are present in breast milk. Antibodies are made by your body's immune system and are very specific molecules that help you fight each illness. When babies are born, their immune systems are very immature and they have less ability to fight illness-causing germs. Through your breast milk, you give your baby immunities to illnesses to which you are immune and also those to which you have been exposed.

Nursing also allows your baby to give germs to you so that your immune system can respond and can synthesize antibodies! This means that if your baby has come in contact with something which you have not, (s)he will pass these germs to you at the next nursing; during that feeding, your body will start to manufacture antibodies for that particular germ. By the time the next feeding arrives, your entire immune system will be working to provide immunities for you and your baby. If you are exposed to any bacteria or viruses, your body will be making antibodies against them and these will be in your milk. Breast milk also contains a host of other immune molecules that also help protect your baby from germs. It's an awesome system!

Research shows your child's immune system will not be fully mature for many years. While it is developing, he will be protected by being breastfed. His own immune system also develops more rapidly than does babies who are fed formula. Does this mean breastfed babies never get sick? No, they can and do. However, the illness is generally less severe and lengthy than if the baby were not receiving his mother's milk.

Breastmilk is liquid gold, And it's yours to give!

Breastfeeding can improve mother's health.
Yes it can! Extended breastfeeding can help decrease a woman's risk of developing breast cancer later in life, which is one more reason why the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend that mothers breastfeed for at least a year. Certainly, any amount of breastfeeding is better than none so you should feel good about doing whatever you can.

Link to Breast Feeding FAQ'S

Link to Breast Feeding Facts.

Additional Resources:
Much of the information for these breastfeeding pages came from the La Leche League International, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the National Women's Health Information Center, Parenting and American Baby magazines, and the Iowa Area Education Association. Visit the following links for additional information.

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